Submitted by
Nanci Presley-Holley
I was visiting my mother several years ago before she died. She was frying chicken to take on a picnic. I told her how fondly I remembered the fried chicken every Sunday after church. I remembered fighting with my brother for the wishbone so I could make a wish. I also told her I thought hers was the best in the world. To my surprise, she told me it was not her recipe, but my father’s. He had been the one who had always fried the chicken and prepared Sunday lunch. She also told me it was a tradition in the Pressley household from "old man" Pressley (Julius Joseph Pressley, my great grandfather) to his son (Julius Estace Pressley) to my father (Jack Joseph Pressley), that the man fried the chicken on Sundays.
Though I never knew either my great-grandfather or my grandfather, I have been out to the old homestead at Cooks Point, Burleson County, Texas. My great-grandfather was extremely tall – I think he got the Travis gene big time (he was a first cousin to William Barrett Travis of Alamo fame). As a child, I remember staring up at the picture of this huge, huge man in a black suit with the biggest hands I’d ever seen. His shoes were all dusty and he looked so grim. He had to be in his 60s when the picture was taken. My cousins who knew him tell me he was a gentle giant who loved to tell stories and laugh. He was one of the best fiddle players in Burleson County and even won a watch in a fiddle-playing contest.
Julius was born and raised in Conecuh County, Alabama. He lied about his age to join the Confederate Army when he was 15. He was wounded and captured by "those Yankees". My great-great grandmother, Martha Ann Stallworth Pressley, took one of their slaves and a wagon and went to Atlanta to "fetch him home". Many years later, one of Julius’ daughters, Martha Elizabeth Pressley married Charles "Mack" Mitchell, the son of John Samuel Mitchell. I’m told John Mitchell also fought in the Civil War, but for the north. When the family would get together at the Pressley farm, John would sometimes ask the Pressley grandchildren if they noticed Grandpa Pressley’s limp. He told them he was the one who shot him during the Civil War. Well, that would rile the Pressley grandchildren into fighting with the Mitchell grandchildren! Julius and John had many a laugh over that.
Since starting the search for my family, there have been many times I imagined Julius Joseph frying chicken on an old wood stove on the farm at Cooks Point. I then think of my father, frying it on Sunday morning just before we returned from Sunday School. The recipe is now 6 generations old and probably more. It was passed down from Julius to his son to my father. Now, I have not only passed down the recipe for this crispy delicious treat to my daughter, Shannon, but last summer, I taught my granddaughter, Therese, the 6th generation -- how to make JJ’s Fried Chicken.
So, here’s the fried chicken and gravy recipe. I recommend you serve it with home-made hot biscuits, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I recently auctioned off this same fried chicken dinner at a fund raiser! It brought a good price!
1 large fryer (1 chicken breast, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings, chicken heart,
gizzard and liver)
¾ to 1 C of Crisco oil
2 C of flour
Salt and pepper (optional)
2 C of whole milk
1 egg
JJ’s Fried Chicken Gravy
Chicken drippings
¾ C Flour
8 to 10 C Whole milk
Enjoy!
